


Cat's Cradle

by JulianAlbertsCat (AdhdBarryAllen)



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Fluff, Forensic Bullshitting, Julian Loves His Cats So Much, M/M, Minor Angst, Mutual Pining, Roommates, Sharing a Bed, Sweaters Knitted Out Of Spite, Vaguely Canon Up To 3x05 'Monster'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 17:00:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10881108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdhdBarryAllen/pseuds/JulianAlbertsCat
Summary: Or, five times Barry called Julian a crazy cat lady.





	Cat's Cradle

**Author's Note:**

> g o d i started this in november and im desperate to get it out of my drafts.  
> i was determined to use this to kick off the headcanon about julian's cats but like... that happened anyways lmao.  
> so, for spring cleaning, take this long fic that used to be my baby, but its time for it to leave the nest.

1.

It wasn’t a monday, but it sure felt like it. 

Barry trudged up the stairs at seven in the morning, his coffee barely keeping him awake. He had been out far too late last night as The Flash, it was a miracle he made it to work at a reasonable time. As soon as he entered the lab Julian was already waiting, clearly annoyed with him for  _ something. _

“Allen, I need you to run this DNA sample,” Julian instructed, shoving the evidence bag at Barry’s chest as he walked past him.

Barry eyed Julian wearily, looked him up and down and snorted. “I could run a thousand DNA samples off that sweater.” Barry remarked, smirking as he took the samples back to his counter.

That day, Julian had elected to wear one of his few black sweaters. It was covered in cat hair. There was a reason he didn’t own much black. Just before he had left the house, he made the mistake of picking up one of his cats. He knew by now that this always ended in the cat shedding a cloud of fur, but he had been so cute and needy… How was Julian supposed to resist?

“One of my cats is white and I need to do laundry, lay off,” Julian ordered, nonplussed.

“How many cats do you  _ have _ ?” Barry responded, bemused, “That’s like, a rainbow of fur.”

“How about you do what I asked you to?” Julian retorted. ”You know, for that job? The one you get paid for?”

“ _ Fine _ ,” Barry sighed dramatically with his signature eye-roll, turning back to the sample at his counter. “So… what are your cats’ names?”

Julian simply ignored him. He knew that If he shared the truth, Barry would tease him mercilessly, more than he already was for being covered in cat hair.

But Barry was annoyingly persistent, as usual, and Julian always shut him down, as usual. What was it about Barry anyway? Always asking questions, constantly making annoying offers to help? Always in such a need to establish a friendship—where it was very much not needed, Julian acknowledged with disdain. Then other moments when he would run out without warning for hours on end—doing God knows what.

Julian hated those moments the most. Bartholomew Allen was already treated like a prince around the precinct, but did Singh and Lieutenant Briggs really need to give him the benefit of the doubt when he’d leave without asking, then return without so much as a clue as to where he had been?

Honestly—the man had no respect for punctuality or professionality, and Julian despised this. And he’d never admit it out loud, but he actually enjoyed being in the loser’s company. He always felt somewhat entertained in snapping at Barry, and criticizing his casualness.

Even now, Julian felt relaxed, in telling Barry to focus on his work, and quit dawdling. And Barry scowled a little at Julian, before  _ at last _ shutting up, and mixing chemicals at the counter by the floor-to-ceiling window.

Finally, Julian sighed, putting down his forensic analysis report, peace at last. Barry had gone at least ten minutes without a single peep.

The scientist was working the photoelectric phosphorimeter now, running wavelength tests, and it was clear Barry was lost in thought as he conducted the tests.

How odd… Julian noted, capping his pen before resting his cheek in his palm.

“Quiet” was a rather nice look on Barry. The way the sunlight caught the ends of his copper-brown hair. His tall, thin frame, now wearing a lab coat and relaxed as he leaned against the counter. And gloved, long-fingered hands, working the machine and handling the test tubes with surprising precision.

Hell, even the giant dorky goggles on his face didn’t look all that bad.

Barry noticed him watching; Julian averted his eyes, but it was too late. “Is something wrong, Julian? You've been glaring at me for the past ten minutes.”

Julian huffed, feeling his face heat up. “You—You weren't catalyzing that reaction properly, I was watching to make sure it was okay.”

“Wow, I didn't know the reaction was taking place on my  _ face _ ,” Barry replied, clearly not falling for any of Julian’s bullshit.

"It's only because you have that stupid smile on your face while you work,  _ Allen _ ," he practically spat, but the venom in his tone didn't match his words.

"So? I'm not allowed to  _ smile _ now? What are you going to do, tell Singh on me? Have me sent home early? Because you know, I wouldn't mind going home early—"

"It's only because your smile is so foolish looking—"

" _ Excuse  _ me?"

"All lopsided and crooked and ridiculously attractive and—"

Barry cut him off again, and stopped for a second, his calculating green eyes studying Julian in a way that sent Julian’s heart stuttering  _ way _ out of control.

_ ‘Ridiculously attractive’  _ — What had he been _ thinking!? _

“Fine, I get it, you can stop making fun of me,” Barry finally resolved, somewhat miffed. Obviously Julian didn't think of him as attractive, this was just another attempt to antagonize him. “I’m going for lunch.”

Julian sighed as Barry packed up his bag and left to take his lunch break. He should probably apologize for snapping at him. But at the same time, he worried at any apology from him would come out as unintentionally sarcastic. He wouldn't be forgiven that way, so maybe it was better just to leave it. He didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to Barry Allen.

He supposed the state of their relationship was somewhat his fault. When the CCPD had hired him, Barry had taken it a bit personally, and Julian hadn’t exactly made an effort to be friendly. They were coworkers, they didn’t need to be best friends. Sometimes, though, he found himself longing for a more amicable relationship with Barry.

Barry had his own friends though (and he talked about them constantly). He didn’t need Julian outside of their working relationship, and for some unknown reason, that realization made Julian’s heart ache.

A while later, Barry returned. He walked through the door swinging two bags from Big Belly Burger, as well as a grocery bag. He set one of the bags of food on Julian’s desk, breaking his focus. Julian looked up, vaguely annoyed. He had actually been getting  _ work _ done with Barry gone.

“Peace offering?” Barry proposed, shaking his own bag much too eagerly.

Julian smiled slightly, accepting the offering. He unwrapped his burger, taking a bite. “This is disgusting,” he stated, taking another bite.

“Well, you’re eating it, aren’t you?”

Julian glared at him.

“Oh, I got you something from the store!” Barry exclaimed, reaching into the mystery bag from earlier. He pulled out a lint roller, and began striding over to Julian somewhat menacingly.

“What do you think you’re doing, Allen…” He warned, scooting away from Barry slowly. But Barry was too quick. He jumped at Julian, attacking him with the lint roller in hand. Unfortunately, he had overestimated his momentum, and he sent the both of them crashing to the ground.

“Allen, you—you utter, fucking,  _ arsehole _ !” He sputtered, trapped by Barry’s weight. Barry’s face grew increasingly more red. “G-get off me!” Julian shoved at Barry, blushing.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to—“ Barry frantically apologized, scrambling off of Julian. “I was just trying to, uh,” He gestured vaguely at Julian’s sweater. “Cat hair.”

He stood, and snatched the lint roller from Barry’s hands. “You could have just  _ given  _ it to me, you idiot. You didn’t have to attack me with a goddamn lint roller,” Julian sighed, exasperated.

Barry made his way back to his desk, shame swirling about him. The two resumed their work in silence.

Perhaps Julian had overreacted a bit. Before Barry had arrived, he had just been lamenting the state of their relationship, wishing they were closer. Then Barry had gone and done something ridiculous to make him lash out again. Julian had never been great with people, likely due to isolating himself from the other children as a kid to pursue his own hobbies. If only he had gotten past that as an adult.  _ If only. _

He knew Barry hadn’t meant to tackle him. Barry had just gotten too excited, as he often did. And yet, the event had left Julian’s heart racing. He chocked it up to adrenaline, not willing to give it a second thought. He had enough problems already, and a crush on Barry Allen was not something he needed.

2.

When Barry came in for work that day, he had not expected to find Julian  _ knitting. _ But, there he was, reading something off his computer as his hands moved of their own accord. It was impressive, really, but unexpected.

He hadn't seen much of Julian these past few weeks. Every time Barry arrived, Julian would make up some bullshit excuse to leave, like having a question for an officer who was downstairs and as far away from Barry as possible.  He didn't understand why (he’d apologized for the lint roller incident, hadn't he?), but he respected Julian and gave him the space he needed. Today, however, he was relieved to see Julian at his desk. The lab had felt oddly empty without his presence, even if Julian constantly got on his nerves.

“Julian, you  _ knit _ ? What are you making?” he asked.

“No, Allen, I just weave string together with needles,” Julian responded sarcastically, not bothering to look up. He paused. “It’s a sweater. For one of my cats. Now stop pestering me and get back to work.”

Barry rolled his eyes. “Jeez, sorry to bother you then, grandma.”

Did he just. He did. “Grandma? Really, Allen?”

“What!? You’re always covered in cat hair, you drink tea out of a thermos, and you’re knitting a sweater. For your  _ cat _ . Only crazy cat ladies do that! I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a rocking chair at home,” he teased.

Julian narrowed his eyes. “Don’t make me knit you the ugliest sweater you’ve ever seen, Allen.”

“Ooh, make it a Weasley sweater, I’ve always wanted one of those.”

In response, Barry received a very casual middle finger. It was funny, the way Julian was still British enough to say things like “chap” and “cheerio,” but didn’t hesitate to flip Barry off in “American”.  He chuckled, sitting down at his desk to start the day. Sometimes, Julian was just too easy to tease. He wondered if he was serious about the sweater, though.

+++

As it turned out, Julian  _ was _ serious. A few weeks later, Barry found a brown package waiting at his door. He untied the string around it and tore at the wrapping paper, curious and eager all at the same time. He laughed as he realized what he had been sent, lifting up the ugliest sweater he had ever seen.

It was hideous, just like Julian had promised. The sweater was made of multicolored yarn, mostly brown, but with dashes of green, red, and blue. In the center was a monogramed “ _ B _ ” in bright red, clashing horribly with the rest of the sweater. He was definitely wearing it to work on Monday.

Barry smiled to himself as he slipped on the sweater, surprised to find that it fit perfectly. As hideous as it was, it was easily much softer than any of the other sweaters he owned. Julian had done an amazing job, he thought as he pulled out his phone and texted a picture to Julian.

_ [Barry] it fits great, I can really feel the hate u put into it _

His grin spread wider as he made his way downstairs for dinner with Iris and Joe.

“Hey Barry, help me set the—Oh dear god, that sweater is awful!” Iris exclaimed.

“Isn’t it?” Barry laughed. “Julian made it.”

“He  _ knits _ ? And he’s making you presents now? He must not hate you that much if he’s willing to pour hours into knitting you a sweater.”

“No, I’m pretty sure he still hates me, considering he spent his time knitting me this out of spite for calling him a grandma.”

Iris burst into laughter. “You called him a  _ grandma _ !?”

“You don’t understand, he comes to work covered in cat hair and knits at his desk. He’s a grandma, but not one of the nice ones. Like, the kind that hate you and gossip behind your back with your relatives.”

Iris raised an eyebrow. “Sure, whatever you say. Now, help me set the table.”

Barry felt his phone buzz, and he glanced at it to see a text from Julian.

_ [Julian] You’re welcome. _

It was an unbelievably simple response, and yet Barry found he could not stop smiling. Iris noticed and poked him playfully in the shoulder.

“Is that from  _ Julian _ ?” She said, drawing out his name.

Barry blushed. “Nope. Definitely not. “

Iris was unconvinced. “Barry. I know that face. You  _ like  _ him!” She said, her voice light and teasing.

Barry laughed off the idea nervously. Sure, Julian was smart, witty, and unquestionably attractive, but the guy probably still hated his guts. With all of their banter, Barry wasn’t really sure how much of it was teasing and how much was Julian being genuinely annoyed with him, and it bothered him to no end.

He had hoped that after they had gotten that drink together they would become close friends, but so far that hadn’t been the case. Julian had definitely been more tolerant of him lately, and he wasn’t trying to get him fired anymore, but they had reached an impasse with the teasing. Just when Julian had opened up to him and Barry thought they were getting close, Julian had put his walls up again, and Barry was unsure how to get close to him again.

Perhaps it was his fault—after the incident with the lint roller, Julian had become more closed off than ever.

“So? Even if,  _ hypothetically, _ I liked him, he acts like he hates me 90% of the time, and we’re barely even friends.” He paused. “But then sometimes, Julian will do something  _ nice _ , leaving me more confused than ever.”

“Barry, he’s probably just unsure how to open up to you again. He let his guard down, and maybe that’s scary for him. Let him know that’s okay. And besides, he can’t hate you that much if he spent all that time knitting you a sweater.”

“So, you’re saying he’s pulling my pigtails.”

Iris patted Barry on the chest. “Yep!”

Damn, why did an ugly sweater have to make everything so  _ complicated _ ?

“Do you even think it's possible for us to get along?”

“What do you mean, Bear?”

“I just don't get him sometimes, you know? Sometimes he's snippy and wants nothing to do with me, but other times he laughs at my jokes and we actually get _along._ ”

“Barry, you just said that like, three different ways,” Iris laughed. “Tell me what else you like about him!”

He smiled bashfully, staring down at the tablecloth. “Well, he’s got a great smile when he actually uses it. And his eyes, oh my  _ god _ , they're so green! He keeps me honest—never lets me get away with too much—which is annoying sometimes, I’ll admit. He always dresses so nicely, and his  _ accent _ ! Maybe it’s cliché, but I love listening to him talk.”

Iris had long since finished setting the table and had sat down, studying Barry as he listed all the things he loved about Julian. His face was lit up in a way she had only seen when had been in love with her, smiling when he thought she wasn't watching. She was glad he was happy, even if things hadn’t worked for them romantically.

In a way, she was glad it hadn’t. Everything had been so confusing then, what with their Earth-2 doppelgangers being married and that strange article from the future. She had felt  _ obligated _ to be with him, because it seemed the universe had chosen that for her. But Iris still missed Eddie, and she had deluded herself in thinking that trying things with Barry would help her forget about him. She had to heal at her own pace.

“—And the way he fidgets with those rubber bands on his fingers when he’s thinking hard is just so  _ adorable _ ,” She heard Barry say.

“Iris, how long have we been done setting the table? You could have told me before I started talking your ear off about my stupid, attractive lab partner.”

Iris chucked. “I really don’t mind hearing you talk about him, but Dad is probably wondering why it’s taking us so long to set the table.”

“Yeah,  _ maybe _ we should tell him we’re ready for dinner,” Barry joked. “Oh, and Iris?

“Yes?”

“Thank you. I’m really grateful to have you to talk to about this whole Julian thing.”

She smiled gently, and Barry was so glad to have such an understanding person in his life.

“Anytime, Bear. I’m always here if you need me.”

3.

Julian hadn’t shown up for work that day. Needless to say, Barry was worried. Julian didn’t miss work unless it was absolutely necessary, so obviously, something was up. Even though Julian definitely wouldn’t care if  _ Barry _ was the one missing work, Barry still felt like he should do something.

When he went to ask Joe if he knew where Julian was, Joe only stared at him. “Barry, don’t you have his number?”

Barry laughed nervously. Truthfully, he had forgotten. They rarely texted, mostly because Barry didn’t want to bother him. He thanked Joe and walked off, pulling out his phone to send Julian a quick message.

_ [Barry] youre not at work, everything okay? _

Julian responded much quicker than he had expected.

_ [Julian] I’m sick, you twat _

_ [Julian] Why else would I be absent _

Barry rolled his eyes. There were lots of reasons a person could miss work, Julian didn’t need to be so pissy about it.

_ [Barry] well do you need anything? _

_ [Julian] Actually if you could bring me my work that would be great _

_ [Julian] Door is unlocked _

Barry raised his eyebrows. Julian was inviting him over? That was definitely on the list of things Barry never thought would happen. He itched to race over there now; the idea of caring for a sick Julian was oddly appealing. In the end, Barry decided waiting till his lunch break was probably a better idea. Even if he could speed over to Julian in an instant, he’d likely be lectured by him because of it. He chuckled to himself, imagining Julian chewing him out, voice nasally while wrapped in blankets.

His phone pinged with another text from Julian: his address this time. Barry walked up the steps to his lab, smiling while looking at the message. He was so distracted by it, he tripped on the top step and fell on his face. This thing with Julian  _ might _ have become a problem.

+++

Julian’s apartment was nothing like he expected.

It wasn’t practical and sparsely decorated like he had imagined. It was fairly small and filled with furniture, more than half of which was not intended for humans. There were various potted plants in different corners of his place, in addition to the six different types of cat towers. This wasn’t to say it was messy; quite the opposite in fact. Despite its cramped nature, the apartment was fairly neat and orderly. His bookshelves were organized, and aside from the stack of papers at the kitchen counter, everything seemed to have its place. There wasn’t even a  _ dish _ in the sink. 

But what really surprised Barry were the portraits on the walls. There was not a single family photo from what Barry could see, presumably because Julian was not on good terms with his family. Instead, there were multiple paintings of a persian and a brown tabby. One glance at the snow-white ball of fluff curled up on Julian’s chest confirmed that yes, these were indeed commissioned portraits of his pets.

“Damn, Julian, you really are a crazy cat lady,” Barry laughed.

“No, I’m not, shut up,” Julian grumbled, lying snugly with his three blankets and feline companion.

“Julian, not only do you have a giant cat sitting on you, but you’re  _ knitting a goddamn scarf _ !” And of course, the commissioned cat portraits, and the many cat towers, he thought to himself. Julian’s apartment only confirmed what he had been saying all along.

Julian frowned, staring intently at the cat. “You don't have to insult Draco just because you think I’m a crazy cat lazy. Which I’m  _ not _ , by the way.” He hoped he hadn't come off as too abrasive. He was genuinely grateful that Barry had come to visit, although he was slightly annoyed at how rudely Barry had talked about his cat. He wouldn't have him fat-shaming Draco, Draco was fluffy and perfect and didn't deserve such treatment.

“Your cat’s name is  _ Draco _ ?” Barry howled with laughter. “Where’s Harry then?”

“Probably hiding,” Julian remarked. He was enjoying the shocked look on Barry’s face; he clearly thought Julian was serious. “Now, did you bring my work, or are you just here to insult me and my pets?”

“Oh uh, right, I did bring your case files. And some soup. Feel better, I guess?”

“That certainly won’t happen with you around, Allen,” Julian said, rolling his eyes as a small smile tugged at his lips.

Sometimes, Julian was just so  _ confusing _ . One minute he would act hostile, but then other times he would Barry that  _ smile _ , and it was like everything around him melted.

Not wanting to bother Julian any longer, Barry set the soup and the files on the coffee table in front of them, then quickly rushed out of Julian’s apartment.

As soon as the door shut, Julian’s laughter burst free. Eventually, his laughter turned into ragged coughs, and he was forced to kick Draco off the blanket to reach the soup Barry had brought him.

He was still smiling to himself as he looked through the folders Barry had also delivered. God, Allen was just so  _ gullible _ ! While it was nice of him to bring him his work, it was still ridiculous of him to believe that Julian’s cats were  _ actually _ named after Hogwarts characters.

Potter had got her name from sitting in plants, for fucks sake!

+++

Julian didn’t come in for work for another two days. Needless to say, Barry had been worried.

They had been texting regularly since Barry had brought Julian’s case files to his apartment, but that didn't stop him from being concerned.

Barry arrived at the precinct on time that day, and when he made it to their lab, he was disappointed to see that Julian was still not there. He sighed, beginning on the chemical analysis Singh had thrusted at him when he’d walked into work this morning.

It  was about lunchtime now, and he had just about finished following the toxicology procedures for analyzing a substance found at their crime scene when Julian strolled in. Being late was usually Barry's token move, but he couldn't really blame him for being late since he had been sick for the better part of a week.

“Feeling better?” Barry asked.

Julian let out a sigh. “Yes, somewhat. But missing three days of work is less than ideal, so… here I am.” He still sounded somewhat nasally, but it was a definite improvement from when Barry had visited him.

Barry smiled as Julian settled into his chair, glad to see the familiar sight of his coworker at his desk. Of course, Julian would probably say something soon that would make Barry regret missing him, but for now he'd enjoy his return. Julian fished a stack of case files out of his bag and got to work on filling some of them away. He set a stack of them aside, likely to input them into the computer later.

“Allen, would you care to add those files into the CCPD database for me?” He asked, giving a nod of his head in the direction of the pile.

Barry didn't particularly  _ want _ to, but then again, Julian had been somewhat nice to him so far, and he didn't want that to end. He glanced at Julian’s desk. There weren't  _ that _ many files. Even without superspeed, it wouldn't take him long.

“Sure, but I’ve gotta ask; is your cat really named Harry Potter?”

Julian rolled his eyes. “Don't be ridiculous, Potter’s name has nothing to do with your stupid fantasy series.”

Barry let out a shocked gasp. “Oh, just for that, you're gonna have to buy me dinner if you want these reports inputted.”

“As long as that dinner has nothing to do with Harry Potter,” Julian laughed. “ _ And _ you let me pick where.”

Barry’s eyes widened, his heart stuttering his his chest. Julian had said  _ yes _ to a  _ date _ ? With  _ him _ ? Iris was going to freak out when she heard.

“I-I better type these in fast then,” Barry responded, recovering quickly.

Julian only smirked and turned back to his filing.

4.

“Hey Julian, what are you getting people for Christmas?” Barry asked out of the blue.

Julian snorted. “For the  _ Holidays _ , I’ll be getting my cats a new toy or two.”

“For- Oh right, sorry, I meant your non-denominational winter holiday.”

Julian scoffed. It wasn’t as though he didn’t celebrate Christmas, it was just annoying when people acted like it was the only holiday that existed. Although truthfully, he didn’t celebrate any more than buying a few peppermint flavored items and maybe knitting a red and green scarf or two. Christmas was a lonely holiday for him, his only company being his cats. Travel to England was expensive, as well as pointless since his family wanted nothing to do with him. Thus, he hadn’t had anyone to celebrate it with in a long time.

“Do your damn work, Allen,” he replied curtly.

Almost an hour later, Barry realized hadn’t said he was getting gifts for humans.

“Wait, did you say your  _ cats _ ?”

“Yes, quite some time ago.”

“You know only crazy cat ladies buy their cats Christmas gifts, right?”

Julian rolled his eyes. “Is there a point to all this?”

Barry shrugged, then tried to go back to the paperwork he should have had done hours ago. As usual, it didn’t last.

“Hey Julian?”

“Hmm?”

“If you aren’t doing anything tonight, we could get dinner again?” Was Barry asking him  _ out _ ? His mind drifted back to their last dinner. Had that been a date too? “Y’know, kind of a pre-holiday celebration? I’m busy with family this weekend— not that you couldn’t do Christmas with us! Wait, do you have anyone you’re going to visit? You probably don’t even want to go to dinner with me and— “

“Barry. I’d love to.”

And damn if his heart didn’t stop when Barry smiled.

“You know, you just called me Barry…”

Julian laughed—more of a cackle, really. “And to think I was considering letting us leave early! Just for that, you’re working till 6:01” Barry’s pout was hilarious, he decided.

Their dinner went so well that the two ended up back at Julian’s, watching terrible American Christmas movies together. Julian wasn't sure how Barry had convinced him to watch A Muppet Family Christmas with him. He had suggested marathoning the Doctor Who Christmas specials, but well, here they were. 

They were splayed out on Julian’s tiny couch, and somehow, over the course of the night, Barry had ended up snuggled up against him. Julian had known Barry was the type of person who was grounded by physical affection, but he hadn't expected to be the recipient of that attention. He just hoped Barry couldn't feel his heart beating out of his chest.

He wondered if Barry could tell how nervous he made him. Not in the way of distrust, (they had long since moved past that) but in a way he was afraid to name. Barry was no longer a constant source of annoyance. In fact, Julian had started to yearn for his company, for that feeling he got when Barry was near him. Of course he knew what this meant, the heart-racing, butterflies-in-stomach sensation, but what was he supposed to do about it?

Julian had played the game of hating Barry for years now, but it was only recently that something had changed. Barry was… different, somehow. He couldn’t quite place what had changed, but something definitely had. Now, Barry actually  _ tried _ to make nice with him, and Julian didn’t know what to make of it. He blamed himself for being so stubborn. He didn’t hate Barry, but he didn’t know how he was supposed to act.  It shouldn’t be this hard to be friends with someone. But friendship wasn’t all he wanted now, was it? When had his pining for Barry’s friendship shifted to something much more romantic, and  _ why _ ?

He knew it was pointless—Barry had no interest in him, and it was painfully obvious from watching him pine after Iris West all these years. But they’d broken up, hadn’t they? And them not being together didn’t mean Barry was into  _ him. _

But the other, more hopeful side of him thought to how friendly Barry had been lately. Tonight was the second time he had gone out to dinner with Barry. Those had been  _ dates _ , hadn’t they?

He had tried to avoid this, he really had. Julian couldn’t even  _ think _ of the last time a relationship had gone well. Because of this, he tried to keep people at arm’s length, not wanting to get hurt. He couldn’t let himself get too wrapped up in this, too wrapped up in  _ Barry _ .

And yet, he found himself being sucked into Barry Allen’s orbit. Everyone treated him like he was perfect. Barry acted like the boy next door who could do no wrong. All this time, Julian thought he was seeing through that bullshit, but as he grew closer to Barry he couldn't help but wonder; what if his kindness  _ wasn’t  _ an act?

He snapped the rubber bands on his fingers absently, having lost interest in the movie a long time ago. Barry was struggling to stay awake, and Julian smiled faintly. It was positively adorable, his hair falling in his face as he fought to keep his eyes open. Barry looked over the clock, surprised to find that it was already past midnight. Then he glanced out Julian’s window, and he noticed the snow falling peacefully outside, his face lighting up.

“It’s a white Christmas!” he said gleefully.

“It’s December 16 th , piss off,” Julian replied, causing Barry to laugh even harder.

+++

The Monday before Christmas, Julian was surprised to find a feathered cat toy and a bag of catnip on his desk.

“Allen, are you  _ trying _ to make my cats trash my house?” he accused, holding up the bag of catnip. “My cats don’t do drugs, you heathen. The media might glorify getting high, but there will be none of that under my roof!” He threw the bag back to Barry. He was keeping the cat toy, though.

Barry only laughed; Julian was beginning to fall in love with the sound.

5\.  

If he was being honest, Julian didn't listen much to Barry’s chatter. Barry had the tendency to talk for hours about the most pointless things, and while it was definitely cute, Julian already had issues focusing and Barry’s constant babble was not helpful. That is, until he mentioned needing a place to stay.

“...And Cisco is probably ready to kick me out by now, but I don't know if I have enough money saved to afford a good apartment since everything in Central is so  _ expensive _ !”

“What did you expect, Allen? It’s the city,” Julian responded, looking up from his work for the first time in what felt like hours.

“Yeah, my last apartment was sort of cheap, but it was a shithole. After living with Joe for a year, I’d kind of forgotten how hard it is to find a place that’ll leave me with enough money for food at the end of the month.”

Julian hummed in response. He definitely understood the struggle to find a cheap flat in this city. In fact, he had been meaning to find a roommate to help cover the cost, but inviting a stranger to live with him was not at all appealing. Not to mention they would have to be okay with his cats, because hating cats was a deal breaker. Then an idea hit him. It was a terrible,  _ terrible _ idea, he knew, but he couldn’t stop himself from entertaining it.

What if he and Barry helped each other out?

Living with Barry could prove to be a dream or a disaster. 

Yes, asking the guy who you maybe-probably were in love with to move in with you was a  _ not  _ great plan. But then again, he needed the money, and obviously, Barry did too. He tapped his fingers on the desk nervously, still at war with himself over asking. The cons were that he would have to put up with that Barry’s stupid, cute face daily (But was that really a con?). And Barry would probably try to educate him on all the pop culture Julian didn’t care for (Not that more nights of Barry falling asleep on him sounded that terrible). He couldn’t tell anymore whether he was trying to talk himself into this or talk himself out of it. It was the latter, he decided.

“Allen—Barry. I’ve, ah, got a spare room in my flat and frankly, I could use some help with the rent,” Julian said finally, averting his eyes.

Barry stared at him in shock. In the past, he had thought that even getting invited over to Julian’s was something that would never happen, and yet here they were, with Julian asking him to move in.

Living with Julian could prove to be a dream or a disaster. He had no idea how he was supposed to hide being The Flash if Julian was his roommate. Julian was smart, it was very likely he would figure it out quickly. And yet Barry found that it didn’t bother him. He trusted Julian, which might be odd, considering the amount of time they had spent at each other’s throats. Of course, he knew Julian didn’t really hate him. At some point, their arguments had morphed from actual anger to more of a pretend dislike, and by this point Barry was only amused to play along.

“Actually, that would be great,” Barry said, rubbing the back of his neck. He hoped he could set aside any feelings he might have for the man, because there was no way he would find a living situation as good as Julian’s with the state his savings were in and he would hate to ruin things over a stupid crush.

“Great, let’s get lunch, then we can discuss rent and other business.”

Julian asking him to move in and  _ then _ asking him out was all very backwards, Barry decided.

+++

“Your room is down the hall and to the left,” Julian stated, gesturing vaguely in that direction. Barry nodded the best he could with three boxes stacked up to his chin. “And when you’re done unpacking, leave the boxes out. They’ll be Potter’s new home.”

Barry snorted, walking off to his room to set down his things. He stuck his head out into the hall, and Julian could already tell that he was about to make some smartass comment. “So, what’s it like, living as a crazy cat lady?”

“There’s lots of responsibilities, including teaching annoying flatmates how to feed said cats.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Barry exclaimed, ducking back into his room to dig for something. “I got you something.” He grinned like an idiot, tossing a ball of black fabric at Julian.

He held it up. It was a black sweater with the word “meow” scrawled across it. Julian snorted, rolling his eyes. “Don’t make me throw you out before you’ve even finished unpacking.” He stared at the sweater, smiling.

“I’m literally paying you to put up with me, Jul.”

Julian froze. He hadn’t been called that in a long time. Not since he left England, at the least. Yet somehow, the nickname didn’t upset him; it made him feel happy, wanted.

Barry seemed to notice his reaction. “Oh, nicknames, ah, was that not okay?”

“No, Barry, its… It’s great, I’m fine.” He looked up at Barry and smiled a little to try and prove that point. Julian tugged on the stupid cat sweater, hoping to make Barry smile again. “Fits great, but black was a terrible choice. And no, I will not help you move those boxes.” He patted Barry’s shoulder and walked away. Julian hoped to  _ god _ he wasn’t blushing.

+++

Barry Allen was an incredibly odd roommate, Julian had decided.

He woke up fifteen minutes after his alarm consistently, and yet he succeeded in getting ready in less than five minutes. Even Julian at his most rushed couldn’t manage that.

Barry also had very strange eating habits. One time, Julian caught him sneaking all of the carrots out of the fridge late at night. That, and he kept a stash of weird protein bars the cupboards that smelled like ass. Even worse, his cabinets had adopted that disgusting smell.

But the worst part was probably the nightmares.

Julian didn’t blame Barry for waking him up, he knew this wasn’t something he could control. He just wished he could  _ do  _ something. It was two in the morning as he leaned against Barry’s doorway, brows furrowed, watching. Barry was shining with sweat, his face twisted up in pain? Sadness?

He tossed and turned frantically and was he… blurring? Julian rubbed his eyes, but the phenomenon remained. The obvious conclusion was that Barry was a meta. Julian was surprised he had managed to keep it a secret that long. Barry’s face blurred for a moment, his voice vibrating oddly as he cries out in his sleep. Recognition shot through Julian like a lightning strike. He knew that strange, modulated voice; it belonged to  _ The Flash. _

He'd been an idiot for not recognizing it sooner. The excessive eating late at night was likely to replenish all the calories he spent running, and the speed at which he cleaned the house was certainly unrealistic for someone who hated cleaning.

He wondered if Barry would had ever planned on telling him. Likely not though, after he had insulted The Flash’s service some time ago.

Barry murmured a woman’s name urgently. What was the protocol for when your roommate/coworker/crush was having a nightmare? Should he wake him up, or would that make things worse if he tried to go back to sleep?

Barry whimpered again, and Julian quickly moved to wake him. Anything was better than watching him suffer like this.

“Barry, Barry  _ wake up _ ,” Julian urged, shaking him gently.

Barry shot up, gasping like a fish out of water. “Don’t hurt—Julian? What— “

“A nightmare, Allen. Let me get you something to wipe yourself off with.” He said calmly, walking off to the bathroom and returning with a wet washcloth. He dabbed at Barry’s face gently as the other man tried calming his breathing.

“I, Uh, thank you. Sorry if I woke you up”

"I wasn't really getting much sleep anyway, don't worry about it," Julian replied.   
Lies. He had been sleeping soundly this entire time. Truth be told, though, he didn't mind being woken up, not for this. He realized, then, that he cared for Barry. “Anything you’d like to talk about?”

He sighed, clearly exhausted. “It was… It was my mother. She was killed when I was eleven, and I lost my father in that house just last year. All the people I care about were with her in that house, she said they would all die ‘cause of me, and I…” Barry trailed off. He shut his eyes, too shaken to say another word.

“I lost my sister, you know,” Julian said, voice hushed. Barry stared at him with a particular gentleness in his eye. it was rare for Julian to disclose much of his life before coming to Central City. “My family was so broken by it. Everyone loved her, but it hit me the hardest. Missing them, the people we've lost… it never really goes away, does it?”

Barry placed his hand on Julian’s comfortingly. In that moment, Julian found himself thinking he had never wanted to kiss Barry more. His green eyes were wild with emotion, his face still dazed with sleep. This version of Barry just felt so…  _ raw _ . Julian closed his eyes and exhaled, letting it sink in that Barry had just trusted him with such a violet part of his past. Barry was a very open and trusting person, but that couldn’t be the kind of story he trusted just  _ anyone _ with. Especially not Julian.

He had no idea how to describe the nature of their relationship, but what he did know was that Barry Allen was adorably freckled and that his lips looked incredibly kissable and he was looking at him the same way and—

“ _ Meow _ ”

“Potter!” Barry exclaimed, dragging the cat into his lap.  “Come to comfort me after a such a terrible nightmare? Aww, you’re such a cutie.”

Julian groaned internally. That  _ cat _ was a fucking cockblock. But she was very cute and fluffy and impossible to be mad at. He scratched behind Potter’s ear, then stood up to leave.

“Wait!” Barry stopped him, grabbing his pyjamas  like an insistent child “Stay?”

“No, I shouldn’t. You have Potter to keep you company.”

“Wait, please… Don’t go,” Barry pleaded softly.

Julian sighed, sounding more annoyed than he actually was. “Fine, shove over. And if Potter claws you, it’s not my fault.”

Barry laughed. Julian was very relieved to hear him sound at ease again. He crawled under Barry’s Star Wars sheets and tried to get comfortable.

He rolled over to face Julian. “Now might be a good time to mention I'm The Flash,” Barry said quietly, unsure how Julian would react.

Julian rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I figured from the weird blurring you did in your sleep”

“So… you're okay with it? Having a meta as a roommate?”

“You changed my opinion on The Flash quite some time ago,” Julian replied.

Barry let out a sigh of relief. The fear had been lingering in the back of his mind for weeks. Julian had come off as so aggressively anti-meta when he had first met him. A part of him had feared that Julian would figure out his secret and kick him out, or even worse, expose him. He knew it was unreasonable; Julian had changed. Barry smiled to himself, thinking about how he had been the one to inspire that change.

Barry had just begun to doze off when suddenly, Julian spoke.

“Hey, Barry?”

“Yeah?”

“Your bed is fucking tiny.”

+++

They had barely been living together for a month when New Year’s Eve rolled around.

Barry and his friends were going out to some bar to celebrate, but Julian was planning on enjoying his weekend off with Draco and Potter. He should have known that his plans would be undermined the second he mentioned them to Barry.

“What?! You can’t spend New Year’s alone!”

“I can and I will,” Julian declared.

“But New Year’s is the best! You stay up for now reason, get drunk, and then watch the ball drop at midnight!”

“The only thing I’ll be doing at midnight is contemplating how time is meaningless while I pet Potter.”

“Come out with me, please. Everyone will be happy to have you; I promise you’ll have fun.”

Julian raised an eyebrow. What was it with Barry pitying him on every holiday? “Fine. But you’re doing dishes all of January.”

“Great!” Barry exclaimed. Julian wouldn’t be surprised if he started jumping up and down any minute now. “I'll tell Cisco we’re on our way.”

Julian rolled his eyes and went to fetch his coat. They got in his car (Before, he had never understood how Barry had survived in the city without a car—public transportation was disgusting—but it made sense now that he knew Barry was The Flash) and drove to the directions Barry gave him, arriving at a very loud and brightly lit up bar.

As soon as Barry entered the place, his friends cheered. It must be nice, Julian thought, to have people that exited to see you. He’d been in Central for a while and the closest thing he had to friends like this was his cats, maybe Barry now too. He didn't think Barry's friends quite counted as his own yet, but maybe in time, they would be. 

“Julian! Glad you could make it!” Iris greeted him.

“Ah, yeah, me too,” Julian replied, fidgeting with his rubber bands slightly. Large social gatherings were not his forte.

“So, how’s it been living with Barry?” She asked, smiling like she knew something he didn’t. To be fair, she probably did. “He totally snores, right?”

Julian laughed. “Yeah, he does. And he leaves his socks on the floor.”

Iris shook her head. “He’s always done that, no matter how much I get on his ass about it.”

Just then, Barry arrived, struggling to carry three drinks at once. “I dragged you here, so first the round is on me,” He said to Julian with a smile.

“Thanks, mate,” Julian replied, taking a large sip.

“Oh, so we’re mates now,” Barry teased, elbowing him playfully.

“Shut up, we live together. Flatmates, mates. Alright?”

Iris sent a cryptic glance Barry’s way. Julian wondered what that was about.

The rest of the party was alright, he supposed. He got to hear many embarrassing stories about Barry (mostly courtesy of Iris), including the time he set his science fair project on fire (“Hey, it got me an A!”), or the time he awkwardly tried to flirt with Iris’s boyfriend before he knew they were together (“I had just woken up from a nine-month long coma! You could have _ told  _ me before I embarrassed myself!”). But Julian’s favorite was the story about Barry trying out for show choir.

“He can sing great, but he’s got two left feet,” Iris told him. “He made it in but only lasted a week before they kicked him out for being hopeless at dancing!”

Both Julian and Barry laughed. “I’d pay to see that,” Julian joked.

“Well, you’re not getting a chance to,” Barry replied. The last thing he wanted was to make a fool of himself in front of Julian, especially when he knew his friends would not hesitate to film  it.

As the night dragged on, their group became progressively more intoxicated. Julian wouldn’t admit it, but he actually  _ was _ having fun. He couldn’t think of the last time he spent a weekend with friends, rather than alone with his cats.

The bar they were at wasn’t a club, but that certainly didn’t stop them from dancing. Caitlin had let her hair down and was dancing terribly with Cisco, and Barry was having a conversation with Iris (Something embarrassing, by the looks of it, but Julian couldn’t tell what they were saying). Iris pointed at the clock, and Barry’s eyes lit up.

“Hey, it’s almost midnight!” Barry announced.

“You know what that means!” Cisco said, making his way back to their table.

“Do I now,” Julian responded, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, here we have this tradition where when the clock strikes midnight, you kiss someone,” Iris declared.

Barry groaned, putting his face in his hands. They  _ had _ to have planned this.

“Oh  _ really _ ,” Julian said smugly. He was very amused by the shade of red Barry was turning.

The clock changed from 11:59 to midnight and the whole bar exploded in a “HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Barry refused to meet his eyes, and Julian was sick of pinning and not doing anything about it. “Oh, get over yourself, Allen,” he muttered as he grabbed Barry by the back of the neck and pulled him into a smashing kiss. Barry was surprised at first, then melted into it enthusiastically.

Somewhere, in the background, Caitlin cheered drunkenly, and Cisco shoutd an “It’s about damn time!” but Julian couldn’t bring himself to care. All he cared about was this, right now, with Barry.

When they finally pulled away, they were breathing hard and Barry was blushing even harder than he had been before. Barry bit the lip that Julian had just kissed. “Are—Are you okay with this?”

“Me?” Julian laughed. “I’m the one who just kissed  _ you _ ! I should be you asking that!”

Barry laughed as well, realizing how ridiculous the whole thing was “Then yeah, yeah I’m good. More than good, actually,” He affirmed, wrapping his arms around Julian and kissing him again. And again. He never wanted to stop.

Before, Julian had been so afraid of his feelings for Barry, and even more afraid of Barry feeling the same way. But with this kiss, all of his fears disappeared. All he could think about was how Barry tasted like liquor but smelled like cinnamon, and  _ god, _ that thing he was doing with his tongue was—

Barry blushed, pulling away. He usually wasn’t one for PDA, but, well, he had gotten caught up in the moment. 

“Wow, that was—”

“Seriously, you could cut that UST with a knife,” Cisco supplied.

“Maybe we should head home,” Julian suggested, patting Barry’s chest affectionately. He was a bit too tipsy than he would have liked right now.

“I’ll drive,” Barry offered.

“But you’re drunk too. And do you even know how to drive?”

“Nope, I can’t get drunk. And yes, I can probably drive.”

Julian huffed, but still followed Barry out the door after they had said their goodbyes. Surprisingly, Barry was not a terrible driver.

When they got back to the apartment, Julian wasted no time tugging Barry towards his bedroom, leaving their jackets forgotten on the floor. He pushed the other man onto the bed and began kissing sloppily down his neck, hiking his shirt up to reveal a tantalizing strip of skin covered in adorable freckles. He found himself wanting to kiss all of them. Barry pulled away, bringing a hand up to frame Julian’s face.

“Julian, maybe we should save this for another night? I mean, not that I don’t want to do this with you—I definitely do—but you’re drunk, this isn’t a good idea.”

Julian pouted, but didn’t argue. He tugged Barry’s shirt back down and fitting himself under his arm in response.

“Okay…” Barry said quietly, a little confused. “Aren’t you going to put on pajamas or something?”

Julian shrugged against him.

“At least brush your teeth.”

“Yes mum,” Julian sassed, getting up to do so.

Afterwards, he crawled back into his place against Barry, dozing off in no time.

Barry lay awake, staring at the ceiling with Julian curled up at his side. He could only hope Julian wanted to kiss him that much tomorrow. 

It seemed his list of ‘things that will never happen with Julian’ was getting proved wrong every day.

+++

When he awoke, Barry was greeted to the pleasant sight of Julian cuddled up against him and two cats at the foot of their bed as the sun streamed in through the curtains. He wished he could immortalize this moment, but knew that a picture would never do it justice. He looked down at Julian fondly, glad nothing more had happened last night. He wanted to take this thing of theirs slow, having no idea where it might lead. Generally, when people move in together it was after a relationship had already started, not before. This was all kinds of backwards, but Barry loved it anyways.

Julian made a soft noise against him, slowly waking up.

“Bloody hell, it feels like I got hit by freight train,” Julian groaned.

“You didn’t even drink that much,” Barry chuckled.

“Shut up and get me some water,” he ordered with a playfulness to his tone. “And to  _ think  _ I was going to sleep with you.”

Barry froze. “Yeah, we should probably talk about that…” He stood up, Julian frowning at the loss of warmth, and went to grab him a glass of water and an aspirin. Barry handed them to Julian, then sat cross-legged on the bed facing him.

“So. Last night,” Barry began. He ran his fingers through his hair as he always did when he was nervous. “I know you said you were okay with this, but also you were drunk last night and sober you probably wouldn’t try to… y’know, with me, and if it was a mistake just let me know and— “

Julian cut him with a laugh. Of  _ course _ Barry Allen was too embarrassed to say the word “sex.”

Barry frowned. “Did I say something wrong? Should I leave?”

“Barry, no, it’s fine. You’re fine. If anything, I should be apologizing for trying to shag you first chance I got.”

“Then we’re really okay?”

“Yes,” Julian purred, pressing a soft kiss to Barry’s lips. “We’re okay.”

“Just in case though, do you need me to move out? I know you didn’t sign up for a boyfriend when you let me move in and— Oh…” He trailed off as Julian tugged him down onto the bed and kept kissing him.

Yeah, this was really okay.

+1.

Julian was carrying a box in his arms when he came home from work that day, inside an orange mewling kitten.

Honestly, Barry should have expected this. Julian already tried to talk him into getting another cat every time they were even on the same  _ street _ as the Humane Society, so it was only a matter of time before he found a stray to rescue.

He leaned in to kiss his boyfriend. “Cute, but we don’t need another cat.” As if to enforce his statement, Draco circled around his ankles meowing as though he was deprived of affection.

“Barry, he can’t be more than 2 months old, look at him!” Barry made an effort to look away, but failed. The kitten really was adorable, he couldn’t help it. “Some asshole just left him on the street cause he’s missing his front leg, you can’t expect me to just  _ leave _ him!”

“I don’t know, isn’t adopting another child moving a little too fast in this relationship?” Barry joked.

“I’ll let you name him,” Julian prompted.

His face lit up. “Really!? How about… Darth Vader!”

“I take it back, that’s too much power for you.”

“Fine, how about Weasley?”

Julian groaned. “I  _ told  _ you, my cats are NOT named after Harry Potter characters!”

“…But what about Draco,” Barry countered.

Julian ignored him. “I suppose Weasley will do,” he sighed, scratching their new cat’s head.

Barry fell in love with Weasley almost immediately.

Julian was amazed at how much Barry spoiled that cat, constantly feeding him treats and buying him new toys (and Barry had the nerve to call  _ him _ a crazy cat lady!). Potter and Draco were definitely jealous, but they didn’t treat Weasley too roughly.

It was a common sight to see Barry walking around the house, Weasley draped around his shoulders. The kitten wasn’t too good at jumping, and with Barry being so tall, he relied on him to see the sights. It was so adorable that Julian had taken a picture when Barry wasn’t looking and made it his home screen.

One time though, Barry had actually gone out to buy Weasley a  _ leash _ . That was where Julian drew the line. He had come out for breakfast, only to find Barry on the couch, struggling to fit the harness on the cat. He snorted. “I’d hate to dash your dreams of walking our cat to work, but it’s not gonna work with his leg missing.”

He pouted. “But it would have been so cute…”

Then Julian looked at him, dead on and said “Damn, Barry, you really are a crazy cat lady.”

And Barry laughed so hard he fell off the couch.

+++

Barry sat in his favorite arm chair, knitting at just the right speed so as to not set his project on fire. He still wasn’t as good as Julian, but the gloves he was working on were coming along fairly nicely. Julian had refused to teach him at first, after witnessing the other hobbies Barry had picked up, mastered, then dropped after a few weeks. Just last week he had picked up embroidery, but that hobby hadn't lasted more than a few days. Julian complained regularly about how Barry’s skills would outshine his own, then he would throw them away just as fast has he had learned them. Barry found that kissing him often shut him up.

Relationships were never easy, and Julian being The Flash’s boyfriend certainly was not either. Julian had been kidnapped a few times these past years for his ties with Team Flash, and while Barry knew Julian was capable of defending himself with his military training, it didn’t stop him from being terrified every time the alert for Julian’s panic button had sounded. So far, no supervillains had put one and two together to realize they were together. He was fairly sure they still assumed he was dating Iris, despite her being married now.

Him and Julian didn’t always make sense, but they worked. They still argued frequently, only now their arguments tended to more about who forgot their chores, or who needlessly put themselves in harm’s way.

Much to Julian’s frustration, Barry still took stupid risks as The Flash, unnecessarily put his own life in danger. Julian understood that protecting Central City was dangerous, but Barry had a tendency to try to sacrifice himself whenever the opportunity arose. This usually landed him in STAR Lab’s hospital bed with Julian ready to reprimand him for being so reckless.

At least those arguments were more likely to end in some pretty fantastic sex.

But even despite all this, they loved each other. When Barry had changed the timeline back, he had been convinced he had changed everything for the worst. Almost everything had, except Julian. His biggest mistake had brought him this wonderful person whom he loved with all of his heart. Some days, he wondered what he had done to deserve someone so… so  _ good. _

He had his flaws, sure, but so did Barry, and it was nice to have someone who didn’t let him get away with making his trademark bad decisions, pushing him to do better; to  _ be _ better. It was just one of the many things he loved about Julian.

Julian emerged from their bedroom holding up two ties, one yellow and one red. “Which one should I wear for dinner at Detective West’s tonight?” he asked.

Barry smiled. “Jules, you’ve been having dinner with them for three years now, you don’t need to wear a tie. And Joe said to call him by his first name, Detective West is for when we’re at work.”

He sighed, making his way over to the couch closest to Barry. “I know, I just worry.”

Barry set his project aside and moved to the seat next to Julian. “Come here,” Barry said gently, pulling his boyfriend into his arms. “It’ll be fine, Julian. They already love you, and the color of your tie isn’t going to change that.” He ran his fingers through Julian’s hair soothingly. “Though, if you really want me to pick, I say the red one.”

Julian smiled warmly. “Thanks, love.”

“I love you,” Barry replied, kissing him tenderly.

Julian’s hand cupped Barry’s face. “I love you too… But we should really get going, I don’t want to be late.”

Barry groaned, speeding to the closet to grab them their coats. Julian got up to meet him at the foyer, shrugging on his coat. He slipped a hand inside the pocket, running his thumb over the smooth velvet of the small box inside. His heart raced just  _ thinking _ about tonight. After three years of living together and a cat, he was finally going to ask Barry to marry him. Julian didn’t particularly believe in a god, but right now he was praying Barry would say yes.

“Ready to go?” he asked, smiling fondly.

“Yeah, just one more thing,” Barry replied, brushing the cat hair off of Julian’s vest. “Cat lady,” he muttered.

Julian laughed, taking Barry’s hand and hoping it would lead to their future .

**Author's Note:**

> ive got mixed feelings about this but hopefully y'all like it


End file.
